Fringe, frills and feathers

Everyone's in a flap over this season’s fabulous showgirl threads.

Alberta Ferretti, Chanel, Rimondi, Sonia Rykiel, Jean Paul Gaultier and Alexander McQueen are just some of the designers playing with the flapper look for SS09. Showgirl style fancy feather head-dresses, thigh-high fringed slits on cheeky Charleston gowns, and pleated prohibition-era party frocks sashayed down the catwalk this winter.




Bringing a smile to our faces and a flush to our cheeks, this is a trend worth imitating if only for the spring it’s sure to put in your step. Altogether now...

ABC of Fashion Week Trends

This year's fashion weeks have unearthed a wealth of wearable and classic trends. Here is my ABC of fashion week designers' take on the most luscious looks.

A is for Aquascutum

In London, Aquascutum did monosyllabic colour to perfection. A simple palette of black, white and red was accented with flashes of cobalt blue and smidgens of gold.

Winter coats littered Aquascutum's runway in varying styles from modest to militant. The cape collar and shiny buttons on this coat save it from being labelled boring black and add to its classic with a twist appearance.



Flashes of white were added with the addition of this extremely wearable looking wool dress which looks as magnificent in monochrome as it would with any of the colourful coats it accompanied.



One of many red dresses this season, Aquascutum's chic cut and detailing makes for a refreshing change from the numerous ostentatious scarlett creations seen so far.



B is for Blumarine

In Milan, Anna Molinari for Blumarine sent some of the sweetest frills and feathers seen on any catwalk so far. Pale pinks were complimented with trimmings of sleek fur and sparkling sequins.

Cute cardies were kept interesting with clashing of textures including cashmere, chiffon, sequins and fur. These ensembles are anything but boring with their girly yet sophisticated allure.





Feathers fluttered all over the catwalk this season. Sexy but sweet, Molinari kept things light with this barely-there dress.



C is for Carolina Herrera

In New York, Carolina Herrera embraced our feathered friends also but unlike Molinari she used them to give a certain edge and fierce note to her clothes. Autumnal oranges, reds and greens went well with birds of prey's plumage as Herrera made hunting haute couture.

With the return of Halston, 70s styles were obligatory at most shows. Herrera updates this burnt orange 70s gown with a feathered collar bone.



A feather-print dress is given an eccentric touch with hunting hat and boots in flattering fall colours.



Not ignoring the gothic trend seen especially at London Fashion Week, Herrera chose to give the look a polished update with golden touches and black patent leather boots.

New York, London, Milan...Hollywood: Oscars fashion fever

New York, London, Milan...Hollywood? Forget Marc Jacobs, Gareth Pugh and Giorgio Armani and make way for fashion's one and only golden boy: Oscar! The best fashion show of all the year takes place in a day and requires only one catwalk, the red carpet. Hollywood's finest gather for a glimpse of the most fetching fashion accessory there is, the golden god Oscar.
Looking to the slew of recent fashion weeks, here are my haute-couture hopes for my favourite 3 of the Academy's style students...




Cate
Hoping to be showered with gold this year are, among others, the effortlessly cool Cate Blanchett. An Oscars regular, Cate donned a sparkling silver sheath last year which proved less than popular with the press and public alike. Personally, I thought she looked ice-maiden cool and not at all like she was trying too hard to copy the big man himself, as she was accused. Open your heavily mascara'd eyes fashion folk, Cate was in silver not gold!


This year I'm hoping she'll continue her gold streak with a nod towards one of this season's most dazzling trends - embellishment. Floral embroidery, every-colour-under-the sun-sequins, and giant shiny discs are bound to attract magpie Cate and rightly so. Le Blanchett knows what looks good on her and light-reflecting sequins, shimmering discs and vibrant florals feature regularly in her wardrobe.


Giorgio Armani's deliciously embroidered florals which premiered at Milan Fashion Week top my favourite embellished pieces seen on the catwalk so far and would look luscious with CB's white-blonde hair.



Giorgio Armani, Milan Fashion Week 2008



Equally flattering would be anything in shiny gold. Yes, gold. I'm sure Oscar would be flattered. This gorgeously embellished number from Julien Macdonald should do the trick. Macdonald's floor length show-stopper is delish.

Julien Macdonald, London Fashion Week 2008




Marion
Marion Cotillard has been working it around the awards circuit in a feminine and sexy mixture of 50s strapless gowns, loose draped mini-dresses and touch-me textures of velvet, silk, sequins and chiffon. My fourth-fashion-sense tells me MC will choose to go all-out with her Oscars debut in an extravagant floor sweeping number. I hope she will choose to amp up the classic ball gown and embrace the trend for ruffles, frills and folds which has graced many a designer's collection in recent weeks.
Marion's shiny dark locks would look dramatic paired with red-carpet-red. Even more daring would be to complete the ensemble with a giant Minnie Mouse bow. Ain't nothing mousy about that look!


Jenny Packham sent a number of beautiful gowns down the runway. None were more awe-inspiring than this though. Gorgeous. Make me jealous MC!


Jenny Packham, London Fashion Week 2008



I'm not outrageously keen on the graphic black beading across the bodice but I have fallen hook, line and sinker for the cheeky inverted fishtail on this dress. Privé-perfect.


Armani Privé, Paris Fashion Week 2008



I'd bet my right arm (and my left) that Marchesa's gorgeously frothy gowns will make at the very least one appearance at this year's Oscars. It's hard to choose a favourite but this cascading red creation comes pretty close...



Marchesa, New York Fashion Week 2008





Tilda
I'm putting my money on Tilton for this year's fashion wild card. And I sincerely hope she comes up trumps for me! It wouldn't be the Oscars we know and love without a fashion faux-pas. It's often these so-called mistakes that delight me most. Bjork, Cher, Lara Flynn Boyle all made me smile with their theatrical and grabbing garb. Thespian Tilda favours futuristic frosted creations and looks far-out fabulous in them. With her etheral beauty and fashion-hanger figure she would look amazing in any of the volume pieces dominating fashion weeks.
Her pale and interesting looks lend themself well to shimmering greys, whites and silver.


Chanel sent some of the more wearable volume pieces down their catwalk and I think Tilda would KILL in them.

Chanel, Paris Fashion Week 2008





May the best dressed win.